Bonus winner Eddie Wineland returns to old form at UFC on FX 3

SUNRISE, Fla. – So much for the theory that Eddie Wineland struggles against wrestlers.

The bantamweight put that talk to bed Friday night with a vicious knockout of Scott Jorgensen – who had never been knocked out before in his career.

Wineland (19-8-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) stopped Jorgensen (13-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC), roughly a 2-to-1 favorite, to open up the main card of UFC on FX 3 at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

After the fight, Wineland said his two-fight losing skid was not indicative of the fighter he is – and the losses to top bantamweight contender Urijah Faber and top flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez in his first two UFC fights aren’t representative of what to expect from him.

“My last two fights, that wasn’t the guy that I normally am,” Wineland told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I came into this fight with a different mentality. I knew I needed to let loose, or I’d be out of a job.”

His boss, UFC president Dana White, praised the former WEC bantamweight champ for a gritty performance that included fighting through a major cut sustained from a Jorgensen knee. He also praised Wineland financially with a $40,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus award.

“The thing is with him, he’s a fighter,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “He came out with a gash, and there have probably been three cuts like that in the history of the UFC since we’ve owned it. That’s one of the top three all-timers in the last 11 years. When you can really tell a guy’s got it is when he’s cut wide open like that, bleeding like crazy, and he’s still fighting to try to win. A lot of guys, when they see that blood and they see from the camera how big the cut is, they freak out. He kept right on going and pulled off the win. He’s a stud.”

Jorgensen said before the fight he was confident that his wrestling superiority gave him the edge since Wineland traditionally had struggled against wrestlers such as Faber and Benavidez. But Wineland was quick to point out that Faber didn’t have an easy time taking him down, and Benavidez never did. And that, oh, by the way? His own wrestling is much better than advertised.

“I wasn’t concerned with his shot – I have a wrestling base, and people don’t realize that,” Wineland said. “I knew he wasn’t afraid to stand and trade with me. That’s exactly what he did, and when he did take his shots, I was ready for them and I put him on his back. I showed everybody I do have some wrestling. I have a Greco background.”

But make no mistake, it’s the massive right hand Wineland landed – the one that had Jorgensen out before he hit the mat – that he believes other fighters in the bantamweight division will be paying attention to.

“I think the way I hit him tonight, with him never being knocked out, should put some fear in a lot of people’s eyes,” Wineland said.

Wineland won for the first time since a four-fight win streak that closed out his career in the WEC. With a pair of “Knockout of the Night” bonuses against Will Campuzano and Ken Stone in his last two WEC bouts, plus his $40,000 bonus on Friday, Wineland now has fight-night bonuses in his past three victories.